This video is part of the
Pen Pal Series that is designed to provide an insider's view of life in their country. In this case, it is from the viewpoint of a young Thai boy in Canada and his nine-year-old cousin, whose nickname is "Oat," in Bangkok. The brief presentation is refreshing in that it is an appealing youngster telling the story of his cousin's daily life along "The Edge of the River, The Edge of the Canals", to translate the title. The life of the Thai cousin and family along the city's waterways is, in many ways, enviable and seemingly carefree. For the most part it is a buoyant and breezy visual presentation, with catchy "oriental"-sounding background music. The "voice" of the boy is read by someone who is a bit older than the boy in the video, and he is unfortunately not familiar with the correct pronunciation of some of the key Thai words used in the script. That aside, the narrative is generally informative.
The role that Buddhism plays in daily life permeates the tableau; young monks are seen carrying building materials used on the temple grounds and making the rounds to receive food offerings from the laity in the early morning. An elderly monk, glowing and serene in his saffron-colored robe, is seen paddling in his diminutive canoe along a smaller canal collecting food offerings as well. The quality and professionalism of the film is outstanding. Among other points presented for increased cultural awareness is the importance of water in the lives of Thais and the problems of water and air pollution.
Despite the prevalence of smiling faces and well-groomed children, the narration does not hesitate to mention the prevalence of poverty and prostitution--including sexual exploitation of children--in Thailand and the inability of most Thais to afford a high school education. A significant portion of the story takes place inside Oat's school. A history teacher is shown telling her class--in Thai--the importance of Thai history; likewise a geography teacher points out places on the globe and comments on how far away North America is. It is good to hear some ordinary Thais speaking in their native tongue rather than obscuring the beauty of experiencing the Thai spoken language with an English voice-over. Considerable thought and creativity went into the making of this vignette.
The intended audience is elementary and junior high school students. However, a general audience of older listeners would take great pleasure in this attractive slice of Thai life in one of the world's most fascinating cities. The video is an appreciation of everyday life that is seldom captured--and with a total lack of pretension and unneeded ponderousness.
Included with the video is a useful guide to the contents, objectives, description, and six discussion questions to engage young people viewing the video.
